MP Rachel Gilmour warns foreign vessels fishing inside UK waters threaten inshore fleet, demands urgent monitoring and enforcement
Concerns have been raised in Westminster over reports of French vessels operating inside the UK’s 12-mile territorial limit, with MPs warning of serious consequences for the survival of the inshore fishing fleet.
Rachel Gilmour, MP for Tiverton and Minehead, has written to Fisheries Minister Daniel Zeichner highlighting what she described as “unregulated foreign fishing” taking place in UK waters. In her letter, she demanded urgent intervention and warned that the continued presence of foreign vessels was “undermining the sustainability of our fisheries and economic viability of our coastal regions.”
Foreign Vessels Reported Operating Inside 12 Miles
Attached to the correspondence was a photograph reportedly showing 11 French fishing vessels inside the 12-mile zone. The image, according to Ms Gilmour, was taken by a commercial fisherman in the South West.
She said South West fishermen had advised her that these vessels have been working the same patch for around two weeks. With little quota pressure on the non-pressure stocks such as dory, gurnard, spur dogfish and monkfish, Ms Gilmour argued that the vessels were exploiting grounds long relied upon by the local inshore fleet.
She warned that this activity, going “unnoticed or unacknowledged by regulators,” represented a direct threat to the small-scale fleet which depends on those species to survive without quota restrictions.
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Failures In Monitoring And Enforcement
In a follow-up letter, Ms Gilmour called for the issue to be referred to the National Audit Office (NAO) for scrutiny, citing what she described as a lack of regulation and ineffective monitoring.
She accused the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) of failing to submit non-UK catch data to the UK authorities, allowing “illegally caught, untraceable fish to enter the EU market.” She also criticised the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) over its handling of the I-VMS rollout, stating the system was “broken” and that inshore fishermen were “taking the brunt in every conceivable way.”
“The UK has the second highest likelihood globally, over 50%, for IUU [illegal, unreported and unregulated] fishing being landed,” she said. “Immediate action is required.”
Five Key Demands For Action
In her correspondence to the Minister, Ms Gilmour urged the Government to act on what she described as “critical failures” by taking five immediate steps:
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Implement real-time monitoring of all foreign vessel landings to ensure accurate catch records.
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Enforce proper inspection of foreign vessel catches, net mesh sizes and tagging of lost gear.
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Investigate and regulate export customs clearance to prevent IUU fish from exiting the UK.
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Strengthen enforcement by increasing unannounced inspections of foreign vessels in UK waters.
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Hold EFCA accountable for reporting catch data and monitoring IUU fishing of foreign vessels in UK waters.
Call For Ministerial Response
Ms Gilmour said the contrast between the “relentless requirement” for UK inshore vessels to install I-VMS units and the lack of regulation for foreign vessels was “beggars belief.”
She warned that “without immediate intervention, our coastal communities will continue to decline, and the UK’s ability to sustain its fishing industry will be irreparably damaged.”
Ms Gilmour has requested a meeting with Mr Zeichner to discuss the matter and said she expects a full ministerial response to the concerns raised on behalf of the South West’s struggling fishing communities.
